Documentary Looks at USC School of Architecture’s Gamble House

A masterpiece of American Arts and Crafts architecture, the Gamble House in Pasadena is the subject of With Heart and Hand: The Restoration of the Gamble House, airing on Sunday, December 10 (2:30-4:00 p.m.) on KCET, as part of the station’s holiday fundraising drive. Three years in the making, the film explores the lives of architects Charles and Henry Greene, as it documents the exterior restoration and conservation of the 1908 Gamble House, a National Historic Landmark.

The Gamble House exterior restoration project began in October 2003 and took nearly a year to complete. In addition to mitigating 95 years of sun and weather exposure, the project included preserving the historic building into the future and restoring the architects’ original vision. The work involved several phases, such as painstakingly removing diseased wood with hand-held dental tools, treating deteriorated beams and rafter tails as well as replacing structure damage with old-growth fir to match the original wood.

The house, designed for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter and Gamble Company, was originally commissioned as a retirement residence. David Berry Gamble, a second generation member of the Procter and Gamble Company in Cincinnati, had retired from active work in 1895, and with his wife, Mary Huggins Gamble, began to spend winters in Pasadena, residing in the area’s resort hotels.

By 1907, the couple had decided to build a permanent home in Pasadena. In June of that year, they purchased a lot on the short, private street Westmoreland Place, passing up the more fashionable South Orange Grove, known at that time as “Millionaires’ Row.” Impressed with the other Greene & Greene houses in the neighborhood, the Gambles met with the brothers and agreed on a commission.

The Gamble House remained in the Gamble family until 1966, when it was deeded to the city of Pasadena in a joint agreement with the University of Southern California School of Architecture. The documentary was produced by Wilkman Productions, Inc.

On Friday, December 8, Life & Times (6:30-7:00 p.m.) airs a segment about Jim Ipekjian of Pasadena, Calif., one of only handful of cabinetmakers who can recreate to perfection the stunning arts and crafts furniture from Greene & Green homes.

Contact: Cathy Williams, KCET, at (323) 953-5243